reflections and rambles

i live in texas where the weather is already very mild. very.

but still…i wait through all winter, anticipating spring/summer.

yes, yes 100 degree weather in july is miserable. playing frisbee in that i literally feel my skin cooking outside. but the warmth is so nice!

april is soon…then may…then june! yes i sound like dr. seuss, but i seriously cannot wait for a little warmth!

i guess being outside a lot it gets tough to stay pretty when it’s just so dang hot, but i mean, come on! that’s one great thing about the lone star state right?!

the tree outside my window here is finally turning green! it’s a hotspot for the birds, but the fly away before i can snap a pic…but the green contrasted with the cardinal red, and sparrows’ colors are so inspiring.

i’ve even been able to start running in the evenings when i get off work. i really don’t like running in the dark, so now it’s a race against the clock to get in as much distance as possible before the sun goes down.

i was running the other day and thought even that could be a ‘thoughtful’ type post. there’s just something in the air at dusk or dawn that’s so refreshing. i don’t like running with headphones b/cs the ambient noise outside is much better. i guess a treadmill is different but even then it’s a release for me to hear what’s going on around while i stay quiet.i can’t wait until the sun stays out longer! and there aren’t these random cold days in the mix. spring, spring!!

the NCAA basketball tournament starts today!

here are the reasons i love march madness:

1. every game is so exciting. it’s great to watch basketball basically non-stop for DAYS.

2. working for cbs we are preempted a lot so my work day is short and easy!

3. TEXAS is doing great this year and should make a good run.

4. even if they don’t it’s still very dramatic games! Every team plays with incredible urgency. i think the cinderella teams can fall into this reason too.

5. the cheesy but great “one shining moment” they play at the end of the tournament every year.

I barely follow the season pre-tournament. Why? The tournament decides all. I went in pretty blind on my bracket but who cares?! it’s march madness!!

so i realize it’s almost not st. patrick’s day, but i wanted to post this…

this weekend was great! ginger  and i roamed around greenville ave. on saturday, then ran into some friends of mine who came down from sherman.  all the green was madness!

and the ridiculous amounts of trash as the day wore on. come on! even drunk people can throw their beer cans away right?! but it was fun!! her place is so cool and it was nice to hang out.

it’s funny. people see the japanese part of my heritage so quickly, but we celebrate st. patty’s day nearly every year. corned beef and cabbage, maybe a rueben sandwich instead, my mom makes green cake from pistachio pudding, my grandparents send us a card, etc. what seems like a day for drunkenness is actually pretty cool for us.

anyway, here’s a prayer from st. patrick… enjoy!

The Prayer

This Irish prayer is attributed to Saint Patrick and often referred to as the “breastplate” of St. Patrick–words that shield.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Swiftness of wind,

Depth of the sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s hand to guard me.

Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today
Against wounding:

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,

Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,

Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in me.

I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of Creation.

so i was checking my myspace, and i’ve noticed they put banner ads based (i think) on what’s listed in the profile.  like christian stuff, here’s a christian t-shirt company, things like that.

but tonight, i noticed an ad for interracial singles. what?! yes, i am interracial. (japanese-irish white) but how the heck did myspace know that? do they physically look at the pictures? i don’t think i wrote anything to that extent. have other people seen this ad too? i just happen to be one?

it’s not a bad thing, but i don’t really see how “interracial” singles are so different from ‘racial’ singles or whatever they’re called. just bizarre.

so i really felt like blogging tonight but at a bit of a loss…

it’s back to that whole weird thing where they want me to blog at work, but then i blog here, and there’s just so much blogging that can come from a person. i really don’t have much thrilling, quirky, insightful stuff to talk about.

let’s see… i did a story about researchers developing biofuel from watermelon. yes watermelon!! they say the simple sugar is already broken down so they don’t have to process it like they do with corn. People are already extracting the lycopene from it for nutritional supplements, so they can use the extra to make ethanol. very random but i found it so fascinating.

these are federal researchers too. so it’s nice in a way to know uncle sam is at least *trying to find ways to become more green, less dependent on foreign oil. and it’s better for the environment, emissions and stuff at the same time.

some southern baptists apparantly are saying global warming is a legitimate issue too.  you can read about it here.  then i guess some other southern baptists said, no we don’t care.

well… bottom line i thought that was HUGE news. just shows the culture of the denomination. i’ve heard some say, “well, let’s just let the market decide what happens with it.” or the argument that since al gore supports it and he’s a democrat, then it must be bad b/cs it’s not republican. or since these scientists believe in evolution, and we don’t believe in evolution, then their reasoning must be wrong.

hmm…. does something in that line of reasoning seem a tad off? honestly, i haven’t researched all of it enough to make an educated opinion on my own, but i’m at least open and aware of a problem.

so i say kudos to those pastors who are willing to be proactive at least in taking a stand.

so my mom printed this out for me and my family members a few months ago, and i thought i would share!  I think she got it from a Dear Abby column or something.

I’m not a worrier, but there are some decisions coming in the next few months, and I’m getting anxious. A few other unknowns always seem to get thrown into it, so I saw this and thought, “wow I need to re-read this.”

Just for today: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

Just for today: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct, and accept those I cannot.

Just for today: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

Just for today: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I’ll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

Just for today: I will do something positive to improve my health. If I’m a smoker, I’ll quit. If I am overweight, I will eat healthfully–if only just for today. And not only that, I will get off the couch and take a brisk walk, even if it’s only around the block.

Just for today: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions.

in other news, I’ve been going to a moderately small church and i LOVE it! i’ve been working on sundays for the past several months, so it was hard to find some place that was schedule-friendly. Honestly, I’ve had trouble being consistent at church since coming up here. Just being back and forth from the Metroplex, etc.

and after working in Christian media for a few years, then attending large churches, I got a little sick of the whole mega-church concept. They aren’t bad, certainly not, have a lot of godly people, it’s just different strokes, you know?

I’ve also been upber active in churches since about birth or so, and with this job I just don’t have the time or energy to be involved like before. I still love Jesus, it’s just practicality. And…I HATE the guilt trips that sometimes (usually unintentionally) come down from ppl looking for volunteers, trying to get me “plugged in,” etc. It’s been so freeing to worship and not feel guilty about not doing more. And, I think people (including me) are more likely to keep going to a place that doesn’t put ppl in awkward spots like that!

I’m sure soon I’ll be back serving more traditionally. Now it’s nice to take a deep breath.

so it completely melted on wednesday, only to return in full fury on thursday.

here’s the events of lake…as told in photos:marisa and i come out of the movie to discover my car buried and outside is blizzardy…

the steps out of my apartment tuesday morning…

the trees behind my apartment…so pretty!

but by afternoon…snow was melted and im doing a story at a nearby lake…

just 48 hours later…back in the madness!

God bless Texas!

it’s snowing!! it’s been snowing for the past 6 hours or so!  that hardly EVER happens in texas! i went to a movie tonight, came out to seriously 3-4 inches on my car!

sadly….i guess i’m the last person taking a snow day tomorrow.

school closings + texas primaries = a CRAZY day!

pics to follow…